Thursday, April 30, 2009

St Paul Street 3 was host to a Zine Launch by the 3rd year Design students (those studying across the rooooad).Being partial to a good zine and having a good friend of mine’s efforts on show, I headed along to see whether or not my faith in local design could be re-ignited after last year's disappointing grad show...

And it was! Perhaps it was the zine format that design kiddos could grip onto. Perhaps it’s the fact that so many of them are already entrenched in specific sub-cultures and groups to be able to represent them authentically. Or maybe I was just slightly overwhelmed by all the free publications being thrown at me left, right and centre, it wouldn’t be the first time I tell you... Either way, most zines were well thought through, with witty pieces of writing, encapsulating the lightness and uncensored joys of the zine format.

To my surprise, a few from the Visual Arts crew (Maila, Ahi, Linda T and Chris) were representing with their D.A.N.C.E publication, one of the only colour zines there. Inside boasts plenty of pictures of their social gatherings/art installations and even a few of the mug of yours truly + co...

Will be spending the rest of the night trawling through my zine-haul. Good times.

Sneaky preview of the Auckland Art Fair before it opens tomorrow morn.

Have been helping out being general slave girl for the Fair, and it has been surprisingly fun...they take good care of us, giving us free pizza and snacks. In return we make up VIP lanyards for a couple of hours. I'm cheap and have nothing in my fridge at the moment so it's a fair deal for me. I very much heart them.

It's rather strange to be seeing art from the commercial side. Things such as the strict organisation of the Fair and the importance placed on buying and selling are thoughts that don't normally run through my head as I'm making work...Not to say that one doesn't think about the preservation of self once they leave art school, but volunteering in the last couple of days has been enough to rouse a silly art student like me out of their institutional reverie. I guess I can't be pilfering free pizza everyday now can I?

Speaking of such matters, there were a few pieces I spotted that were enough for me to try and survive off of a diet of air chips for the next few months in order to afford. I wonder if they do lay-by...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Theory procrastination led to watching Top Chef this week where the contestants were challenged to whip up last suppers for famous celebrity chef people I do not know. The setting reminded me of Urbahn's The Sacred Heart to the point where I was trying to match chefs and judges to Urbahn's participants.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Cheap art students are suckers for things of the free nature, so when we heard that Rm103 was giving away stuff from their cupboards, we were sold. Seeing as most of us need to work during non-school hours to fund the not so free stuff that we need for everyday life-battles, we sent our minion Nick to go along and scoop up what he could for us.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

I wanted to share my discovery of a wonderful sculpture trail over the Easter break. It is called Brick Bay Sculpture trail which is in Warkworth, only an hour drive from the city. It has some magnificent sculpture by some popular artists such as Dane Mitchell, Gretchen Albretch, Judy Darrah and Jeff Thompson. All these artists work in response to the beautiful landscape. The works that jumped out to me were the ones sitting or floating in the peaceful beautiful lake .They were making a perfect reflection. Maybe because i am working with mirror image or reflections in my own practice. The experience of these works cannot be seen in these photographs you have to be there be have a conversation with them.

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Paintn'Bakers, led by Andy T. are planning a trip to Wellytown for a few days in the next couple of months or so...

Anything interesting happening down there art-wise during that time? We do not want to travel there only to find that Te Papa is our one-stop shop. Have been casting some research lines but not many catches so far...can you help us out? If you know of anything send us an email. Our reward will be US entertaining YOU with a free cooling beverage of your choice in our studio* (exceptions being Vitamin Water, NO to the Vitamin Water!)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Barbara Tucks show at Anna Miles Gallery is full of whimsy and inspired brush strokes. She’s in her 60’s but has the eye of a young enquirer. She paints in oil on board and has achieved a technical brilliance in these works that’s hard to replicate even in professional reproductions like these. I really recommend visiting. Tuck takes you on a child’s adventure trail through intricate landscapes, floating islands of pattern and great globules of sweaty colour. I just love this show…It reminds me there’s still so much to discover in paint.

Friday, April 10, 2009

A while ago, we did a post about the Pirate Store in San Francisco. These are photos I found recently showing the other similar shops, all set up by Dave Eggers and his 826National programme promoting literacy and writing in public schools and the community.

I bring this particular post up again as a small thought for people, as I've had so many talks recently with fellow students who feel they have difficulty with writing and theory. Perhaps it's the looming due dates we have with annotated bibliographies and what not, but the general consensus is that people are still fighting the same fight (or what they think is a fight) with the written word.

The 826National programme takes back the power from the difficulties of literacy and gives it back to the author. Through the guise of superheroes, spies and pirates, Eggers is able to communicate the idea that writing isn't something to be scared of, that things only have power when you are ready to give it power.

I think that perhaps, it isn't until we can do this ourselves, that we can fully realise our own writing capacities. Perhaps instead, a knocking down of pedastals is needed. Too much pressure on oneself to perform at a high standard all of the time just wears on the spirit. Take the classic example of the sophomore album, musicians cracking under the pressure of producing something better and more spectacular. You, however, are not asked to be writing masterpieces. Only to be writing at the best of your ability. More often than not, that is much more than good enough.

The 826National programme is something I like to keep in the back of my mind as a way of keeping pressure at bay. Sometimes, you just need to be reminded that writing (and perhaps other things in life), is only as 'serious and difficult' (oh yeah I went there...) as you make it to be.

Writing is your Friend. Don't be fightin' with it. O.K.

- Agnes

p.s. This post is dedicated to those stressing about their a.b. Yes. You.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Some quick photos from the studio to show we are still alive and functioning. Just. I have been moving houses (twice!) and living in a state of suitcase so I have had little access to internet lately. Coming up this week: Bildwissenschaft, intense crittage, pilot talks, Photobooth and God knows what else...keep in touch.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I travelled to Agnes So’s Family Home last night in a big group of friends. We all arrived in a noisy boom of jokes and slamming doors, but So’s exhibition, titled ‘Open House’, hit me with such a force of silence, I felt embarrassed.So and her family recently moved out of their town house in Ellerslie, Auckland. Using the empty shell as an opportunity to stage an exhibition of her recent work, she responded to the void with pieces that reflected the delicate balance of passing and anticipation, held like a breath in the vacant space.

Upon entering the house we were greeted by a slip of paper requesting that we remove our shoes and delivering a sensitive menu of spacial prose. This quiet offering preceded a warm light emanating from the cave like space of the front room. This was no space for a noisy opening of sorts. A beeline for the drinks table out the back of the house would defile the atmosphere.

The show, spanning through several rooms of the house, took the form of an installation, including video, found objects, planks of new pine, sound and rolls of typed graph paper. The most interesting of which was the show’s opener, where brilliant use of the light fittings illuminated an elegant stack of carefully balanced objects. This prompted close scrutiny by all.

The rooms upstairs proved harder to read, with some complicated relationships developing between the rooms. A wireless headset in what seemed to be a 2nd bedroom was linked up to an analogue recorder in the main bedroom. The soundtrack featured tack tacking of a type writer being worked, presumably on the rolls of typed graph paper included in various works around the house. This linked it all together for me. A cacophony of machinations and process’s, emanated through the house, filled the vacant hole with life. Though outside the headset, everything was silent again. A house waiting to be known.

Hello

Story goes that Agnes started a blog on the advice of the late great Julian Dashper then got lonely and wrangled her fellow studio procrastinator, Claudia, in to help her hold the fort on the New Zealand side of the Tasman while she brain-drained over to Australia for more study. Meanwhile, her partner-in-crime attempts to break free from the clutches of the institution (aka. find a job). Thus continues this blog, a document of the coming trials and tribulations experienced after the familiarity of AUT's WM block is gone.

About Me

One day Agnes and Elliot were sitting in front of the macs in studio with Julian Dashper, looking at various art sites and blogs and Julian Dashper said, "hey why don't you guys start up a painting blog?" and we said, "hmm dunno might be a bit of work..." and he said, "come on it'll be fun", and we said, "oh alright then" and he said, "so you'll have it up by the next time i come in?" (as Julian Dashper only comes in every two weeks on a friday) and then Agnes said, "ok", so here it is.